Rectilinear knitting machine



April 10, 1956 A. DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1954 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 l2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1954 April 10,1956

Filed Dec. 28, 1954 A. DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 1956 A. DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 28, 1954 April 10, 1956 DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1954 1.2 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 10, 1956 DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1954 12 Sheets-Sheet April 10, 1956 A. DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Dec. 28, 1954 w H WEE Wain/4,

A. DAUSSE April 10, 1956 Filed Dec. 28, 1954 April 10, 1956 A. DAUSSE 2,741,106

RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1954 12 Sheets-Sheet 9 M V 4 4444 m no .nu Y 5??? 7 April 10, 1956 A. DAUSSE RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Dec. 28, 1954 April 10, 1956 A. DAUSSE 2,741,106

RECTILINEAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1954 12 Sheets-Sheet 11 l2 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Dec. 28, 1954 United States Patent RECTILINEAR KNrrrmc Macrame Andr Dausse, St. Andre-les-Vergers, France, assignor to Etablissements Andre Gillies, Troyes (Aube), France, a French company Application December 28, 1954, Serial No. 478,187

Claims priority, application France Gctober 2t 1954 Claims. (Cl. 66*89) The present invention relates to the rectilinear knitting machines of the so-called Cotton type and, more particularly, to the narrowing mechanism which makes it possible to perform not only narrowing operations, i. e. transferring selvedge loops toward the fabric center for the purpose of reducing the fabric width, but also size, fashion and trade marks, shadow-clocks, lace clocks, picot edges, runproof knit and so on.

The object of the invention is to provide a safety device adapted to prevent any repeated dipping of the narrowing machine after a narrowing cycle is completed and said narrowing machine has resumed its upper inoperative position. 7

: For this purpose, and according to the invention, provision is made for a safety member which acts directly upon the single narrowing operation controlling device in such a manner that any faulty operation occurring in the knitting machine will not cause the narrowing mechanism to dip unexpectedly. In the above mentioned type of knitting machine, it is well known that the single narrowing operation controlling member comprises a plunger carrying a camfollower adapted selectively to cooperate with either of a pair of shifting cams fixed on the camshaft of the knitting machine and adapted to bring said camshaft hito either regular knitting or narrowing cycle position. Said plunger is resiliently urged toward the narrowing cycle. position and is locked in regular knitting cycle position by a so-called locking rockable lever adapted to engage an annular groove in said plunger. The plunger is restored from its narrowing cycle position to itsregular knitting cycle position by a. restoring cam rigid on the camshaft. V I V I 7 Now, the safety device which is the object of the invention comprises in combination a safety member for locking said plunger in regular knitting cycle position, said safe'ty'member being urged toward locking position, retaining means actuated by the locking leverl for maintaining said safety member in releasing position when the locking lever is in locking position, restraining means for maintaining said safety member in releasing position after the locking lever has released the plunger and also during a narrowing cycle, and cancelling means so designed as to allow the safety member to reach its locking position if, at the end of the narrowing cycle, the locking lever has not resumed its plunger locking-position for the regular knitting cycle.

Other and further objects and advantages of the inice of the device of Fig.- l, the locking and safety levers being in locking and releasing positions respectively,

Fig. 3 shows some of the parts of Fig. 1, with the safety lever in locking position,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 with the parts shown inthe position they assume at the end of'the cycle narrowing cycle,

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially along the line V-V of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 illustrates another embodiment in side elevational view, with the locking lever and safety lever in locking and releasing positions respectively,

, Fig. 7 is a section taken along the line VII-VII of Fig. 6, wherein only the members located in the vicinity of the section plane have been shown,

v Fig. 8 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 6, with the locking lever and safety lever both in releasing position, Q

Fig. 9 is a section taken along the line IX'-IX of Fig. 8, wherein only the members located in the vicinity of the section plane have been shown,

Fig. 10 illustrates in side elevational view a third embodiment (electromagnetic type), with the locking and safety levers in locking and releasing positions respeci Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, with the locking and safety levers in releasing and locking positions respectively, and

, Fig, 12 illustrates a device which makes it possible to desirably make inoperative the safety lever intended to lock the narrowing machine.

In the drawings and description, only the methods and means necessary to a complete understanding of the inventioii are specifically set forth; further information as to the construction and operation of other related, usual and well known knitting machine elements, mechanisms, etc., ma'y be found in one or more of the following publications: I, r V

V 1. Pamphlet entitled Full-Fashioned Knitting Machines, published and copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1920.

2. Four catalogs entitled-The Reading Full-Fashioned Knitting Machine Parts Catalog publishdand copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, in 1929, 1935, 1940 and 1947 respectively. 7 v, p I 3. Booklet entitled-The Reading High Production Full-Fashioned Knitting Machine-which, forming a 18 1i? pleinentjo the above noted 1940 .Parts Catalog of the Textile Machine Works, is a publication of the Textile Machihe Works, copyrighted by the latter in 19 4;). j

i 4. Pamphlet rititled- -Kditting Machine Lectures-fpublished by the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Wyomissi'ng, Pennsylvania, in 1935. I g

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, 1 'ijs the camshaft of a rectilinear knitting machine of the Cotton type. Said shaft is adapted to occupy two distinct longitudinal positions generally -spaced apart 1.5 centimeter, one of said positions (Fig. 2) corresponding to regular knitting'work cycle and the other (Fig. 4) 'to'the narrowing operation cycle. The operation of said camshaft is 'no part of the invention and it is, therefore, deemed useless to fully describe it. It will be merely reminded that the longitudinabshifting movement of said camshaft l is alternately ensured by two shifting cams 2, 3 secured "to the shaft 1 and adapted to cooperate with a cam follower 4 which may be brought into engagement selectively with either of said shifting cams. For this purpose, the cam follower 4 consists of a roller loosely mounted rotational movement at one end of a plunger 5 which is adapted to slide in a stationary sleeve '6 fixed on'the A chine frame. jlh'e plunger 5 is permanently it'r'gedtdwartl the camshaft 1 by a tension spring 7 one endof which is attached to a hook 3 rigid with the stationary sleeve 6 and the other end attached to a book 9 fixed on the hub of an arm 11 which is fixedly secured to the plunger as by means of a set screw 12. V

The plunger 5 is adapted to be pushed against the action of the recoil spring 7 by a restoring cam 13 fixed on the camshaft 1 and which cooperates with a follower roller 14 mounted for free rotational movement on a stub shaft 15 driven into the adjacent end of the arm 11'. The dimensions and the arrangement of the individual parts of this assembly are such that the restoring cam 13 pushes the V plunger 5 a stroke the length of which is equal to h.

In this type of knitting machine, the plunger 5 is kept cleared, i. e. in its regular knitting cycle position, by a locking lever 17 (see also Fig. 1) one end of which is adapted to engage an annular groove 13 cut in the plunger 5. The width of this groove is somewhat in excess of the thickness of said end of the locking lever 17.

The safety device according to the invention comprises a locking part or safety lever 21 adapted to rock on a spindle 22 fixed on a bracket 23 which is secured to the stationary sleeve 6, as by means of two bolts 24 (Fig. 2). One end of said safety lever 21 is adapted to engage the groove 18 of the plunger and has a width somewhat in excess of that of the locking lever 17.

The other end of the safety lever 21 is bent upwardly and connected to the bracket 23 by a tension spring 25 which urges the safety lever 21 to rock into its locking position. Carried by the safety lever 21 in the vicinity of the elbow thereof is a stop-screw 26 adapted to operate a microswitch 27 the purpose of which is to stop the knitting machine as will be described hereinunder. Two cables 28, 29 (hereinunder referred to as maintaining means), respectively connected to the ends of the safety lever 21, are provided for maintaining the latter in operative position as will also be explained further on.

The locking lever 17 has retaining means in the form of a dependent finger 31 the end of which carries a roller 32 (see also Fig. 5) adapted to engage the upper edge of the safety lever 21 in such a manner that as the locking lever 17 rocks about its shaft 20 and engages the groove 18 of the plunger, it carries with it the safety lever 21 and causes the latter to rock counter-clockwise (looking at Fig. 1

A stop-screw 33 (Fig. 5) mounted in the hub of the arm 11 is adapted to abut against the adjacent end face of the stationary sleeve 6 in order to limit the length of stroke of the plunger 5 toward the camshaft 1.

A follower roller 35, also rotatably mounted on the stub shaft 15, is adapted to cooperate with the restoring cam 13 when the camshaft 1 is in narrowing cycle posi-' n'on. The roller 35 has a diameter greater than that of the roller 14, in order to impart to the plunger a receding stroke the length H of which enables the safety lever 21 to engage the annular groove 18 of the plunger.

The operation of the safety device which has just been described is as follows:

Assuming that all the parts are in position for regular work cycle (Figs. 1 and 2), the locking lever, as long as it is not'acted upon, maintains the plunger 5 in locked position and, therefore, the cam follower 4 lets the camshaft 1 rotate in its regular knitting cycle longitudinal position.

Should the narrowing mechanism dip once, the conventional mechanism (not shown) causes the locking lever 17 to rock counter-clockwise (Fig. 1) so that said lever clears off the groove 18 of the plunger 5. Such movement is not hindered by the longitudinal pressure exerted by the spring 7 between the side face of the groove 18 of the plunger and the side face of the locking lever 17 because, at this moment, the cam 13 is in engagement'with the cam follower 14 and retains the plunger against the action of the spring 7. This the reason for providing the cam follower 14 herein. The spring 7 then pulls the plunger 5 toward the camshaft 1 in a smooth movement due to the 3 iliary counter (not shown).

roller 14 which is in engagement with the restoring cam 13. The end of the safety lever 21 which was already resting against the outer peripheral surface of the plunger 5 (for a reason explained hereinafter) slides on said surface as the plunger moves toward the camshaft (Fig. 3). Then, thefollower 4, now in register with the shifting cam 3 axially shifts the camshaft 1 toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4. The narrowing cycle takes place and, at the moment when the camshaft 1 is about to have rotated one complete revolution,v the restoring cam 13 pushes the plunger 5 through the medium of the roller 35. The follower 4 engages the shifting cam 2 which results into the camshaft being shifted back to its regular knitting cycle position After the plunger 5 has receded a distance H, the lever 1? falls into the groove 18 of the plunger tiy raises the safety lever 21 (as illustrated in Fig. l) trough the medium of the finger 31 and the roller 32. Hence, the safety lever 21 will be unable to engage the groove 18 after the plunger has receded by the distance H. As the camshaft is shifted back to its regular work cycle position, the cam 13 passes from the roller 35 onto the smaller roller 14 and the plunger moves toward the camshaft a distance equal to (Fl-h). At this moment, the radial side face of the groove 18 of the plunger abuts against the locking lever 17 and, as pointed out hereinabove, when the locking lever 17 will be raised for the carrying out of a further narrowing cycle, the safety lever 21 rests upon the outer cylindrical surface, hereinunder referred to as restraining means, of the plunger and is thus prevented from entering the groove 18, whereby the plunger is allowed to cause the camshaft to be axially shifted to its narrowing cycle position.

The operation just described is the normal operation, i. e. the operation in which the safety device is not involved. If, however, a fault occurs which prevents the locking lever from reentering the groove of the plunger and locldng the downward movement of the narrowing machine toward its operative position, the roller 32,'then, will not be lowered and the safety lever 21 will enter the groove 18 opposing any shifting of the plunger. The latter will then be maintained in regular knitting work cycle position. Furthermore, it will be observed that the rocking movement of the safety lever 21 also causes the microswitch 27 to be operated which results in the knitting machine being immediately stopped. The operator, therefore, is immediately aware of the fault and a two-fold safety is thus ensured.

Otherwise, if, for some particular works, for instance lace clocks, picot edges, etc., it is necessary that a plurality of lowering movements of the narrowing machine be successively achieved, the safety lever 21 should be purposely cleared.

This result may be obtained, for instance, by a traction being exerted upon the cable 29 against the action of the tension spring 25, subsequent to the passage of a button carried by the chain 70 (Fig. 1) of the conventional chain motion of the knitting machine,.which controls an aux- As an alternative, it is also possible to use the cable 28 one end of which is attached to the safety lever 21 and the other end attached to a lever 41 (see Fig. 12) pivoted on a shaft 42 which is mounted in the machine frame, said lever 41 being adapted to rock under the action of a finger 43 the movement of which is operatively connected to the setting into operative position of the covering shaft 40. I

A manual device for making the safety lever inoperative may be provided, for instance in the form of a rod 46 (Fig. 12) connected to the lever 41 and which may be engaged in a hook 47 fixed on-the machine frame. When the rod 46 is in hooked position, the cable 28is taut and the safety lever 21 is restrained in neutral or inoperative position.

Another embodiment of a safety device according to the invention is illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive. This amass i3 device is a modification of that of Figs. 1 to S and differs therefrom by the following points:

The safety lever 21a is as wide as the locking lever 17 and, hence, the assembly of the two rollers 14 and 35 of Fig. 2 may be replaced by a single roller having a diameter equal to that of the roller 14 and a thickness twice as great as the thickness of said roller 14.

In this second embodiment, the retaining means adapted to temporarily oppose the safety lever from acting are constituted by a dependent lug 50 on the safety lever 21a adapted to cooperate with a retractable stop 51 (Fig. 7) (hereinunder referred to as restraining means) liable to recede or clear which is carried by a shouldered rod 52 mounted for reciprocating sliding movement in a longitudinal bore 53 of the stationary sleeve 6. A compression spring v5d urges the stop outwardly and a ring 55 is threadedly engaged in the sleeve 6 for limiting the length of stroke of the stop and preventing the latter from sliding out of its housing 53. The stop screw 33, already mentioned with reference to Fig. 5, serves as a push member for forcing the stop751 into its housing recess when the plunger 5 is moved for initiating the narrowing operation cycles.

The further elements of the device are the same as those of the first embodiment above described and their operation similar:

As the locking lever 17 is raised for a narrowing cycle, it releases the safety lever 21a, the lug 50 of said safety lever, however, comes into bearing engagement with the lateral cylindrical face of the stop 51 and prevents this safety lever from being lowered into the groove 18 of the plunger. As the plunger reaches the end of its stroke toward the camshaft 1, the screw 33 presses the stop 51 and the lower end of the safety lever 21a falls down upon the plunger (Fig. 8) while the lug 50 comes in register with the stop 51 and prevents it from sliding and protruding out of the sleeve 6. When the knitting machine runs normally, the locking lever 17, when falling into the groove 18 of the plunger, releases the safetylever 2112 (through the medium of finger 31 and roller 32) which, in turn, releases the stop 51. If, however, a fault occurs and the locking lever 17 is left in upper position (narrowing), after the restoring cam 13 (Fig. 2) has pushed by the piston 5, the safety lever 21:: falls into the groove 18 of the plunger which becomeslockdJ Any renewed dipping of the narrowing mechanism is thus prevented. As in the first embodiment described, the knitting machine is then automatically stalled by operation of the switch 27. v v p A third embodiment will now be described in which the safety locking member is electrically controlled, ,In this respect, reference will be made to Fig. wherein may again be seen the plunger 5 with its groove 18, the locking lever 17 and a portion of the camshaft 1.

The safety member is constituted by a so-called safety finger 61 as wide as the locking lever 17. This device, therefore, is of the same type as the second embodiment above described as far as its mechanical structure is concerncd. The safety finger 61 is rigid with a mov able core 62 arranged within a solenoid 63 and it is adapted to fall, under the action of gravity, down into the groove of the plunger in its locking or safety position, whereas energization of the solenoid pulls it out of said groove.

The solenoid 63 is adapted to be successively energized through three switches 64, 65, 66 connected in parallel relationship, from a suitable source of electrical energy, as indicated by the two line wires 67, 68.

The switch 64 is adapted to be operated by buttons 71 carried by a speed controlling chain 72 activated by the chain motion 70 (Fig. 1) of the knitting machine. Said switch 64 is so designed and connected as to maintain the safety finger 61 cleared away for successive dippings of the narrowing machine as long as it is desired. Nothing more will be said on this switch and its operation.

The switch 65 is actuated by the locking lever 17. It

6 is closed when the locking leyer is in regular knitting cycle position and, therefore, locks the plunger 5, and conversely, it is open when saittlever is in narrowing cycle position. In other words, the switch 65, in cooperation with the solenoid 6 3, acts as the roller 32 of the first two embodiments above described.

The switch 66 is actuated from the camshaft 1, through the agency of a circular plate 74 keyed on said camshaft and cooperating with a roller 75 rotatably mounted at one end of a lever 76 pivoted as at 77 on a stationary bracket 78. When the camshaft 1 is in regular knitting cycle position (Fig. 10), the switch 66 is closed and when said camshaft is in narrowing cycle position (Fig. 11), the switch 66 is open. 7

In these figures, the switch 27 for controlling the stalling oi the knitting machine will also beseen. I 7

The operation of this third embodiment is still based upon the same fundamental principal as that of the first two embodiments already describ d, namely: 7

7 When the parts are positioned for regular knitting work (Fig. 10), the locking lever locks the plunger 5, switch 65 is closed, solenoid 63 is energized and the safety finger 61 is cleared.

In order to prepare a narrowing cycle, the locking lever 17 is raised out of the groove 18 of the plunger, the switch 65 opens, the switch 66, however, is still closed, so that the safety finger 61 is still maintained in elevated position. Thecam shaft 1, then, is axially shifted toward its narrowing position and switch 66 opens which results in the safety finger 61 dropping. Since the plunger 5, however, has been shifted, the safety finger falls upon the plunger ata location thereof situated out of the groove 13. The narrowing operation cycle carries on and the plunger resumes its original position. In this position, under conditions of normal operation, the locking lever 17 falls down into the groove 18 for locking the plunger and all the parts assume again the positions illustrated in Fig. 10. v V V p p g Conversely, if, due to any faulty operation, the locking lever 17 sticks inits upper position (Fig. 11) atthe end of the narrowing operation cycle, all the switches are open (since the lever 76 and the camshaft have not yet resumed their regular knitting cycle position) and the solenoid is no longer energized, at least for some time upto the complete return movement of the camshaft, so that the safety finger 61 precisely falls into the groove 18 of the plunger as soon as said groove passes thereunder. Furthermore, the switch 27 closes and causes the knitting machine to stall. h r

As many changes could be made in the above construe tions and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Whatlclaiinisg v v 1. In a rectilinear knitting machine of the Cotton type with a narrowing mechanism adapted to occupy an upper'or inoperative position. and a lower or operative position, a single control member in the shape of a reciproeating plunger with an annular groove for bringing said mechanism into either of said two positions, a roller rotatably mounted on said plunger, a cam shaft mounted for longitudinal sliding movement and rotary movement, said cam shaft being operatively connected to said narrowing mechanism and adapted to move the same alternately into said inoperative and operative positions as said cam shaft is longitudinally shifted in one direction or the other two shifting cams fixed on the camshaft and adapted to be selectively engaged by said roller of said plunger according to the position of said plunger in order to bring said camshaft into corresponding narrowing or regular knitting cycle positions respectively, resilient means for urging said plunger toward its narrowing cycle position,

7 a rockable locking lever having a portion adapted to engage said annular groove of said plunger for retaining said plunger in regular knitting cycle position, and a restoring cam carried by said camshaft for restoring said plunger from its narrowing cycle position into its regular cycle position, the provision of a safety device for preventing any undesirable dipping of said narrowing mechanism when said mechanism is restored into its inoperative upper position at the end of a narrowing cycle, said safety device comprising in combination a safety member for lockingrsaid plunger in regular knitting cycle position, resilient means for urging said safety member into its plunger locking position, retaining means'actuated by said locking lever for maintaining said safety member in releasing position when said locking lever is in locking position, restraining means adapted to maintain said safety member in releasing position after said locking lever has released said plunger and during the narrowing cycle, and cancelling means for cancelling the action of said restraining means, i. e. so designed as to allow said safety member to come into locking position if, at the end of the narrowing cycle, said locking lever, due to a faulty operation of the knitting machine, is not restored into its plunger locking position intended for the regular knitting cycle.

2. The combination of claim 1, with an automatic de- 'clutching device operatively connected to said safety member and adapted to stall the knitting machine whenever said safety member is brought into locking position.

3. The combination of claim 1, with maintaining means operatively connected to said safety member and adapted to maintain said safety member'in releasing position as long as the narrowing cycle is to be repeatedly carried out.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein said maintaining means are constituted by a button on a conventional counter of the knitting machine. 7

- 5. The combination of claim 3, wherein said maintaining means are constituted by the conventional covering shaft of the knitting'machine.

6. The combination of .claim 3, wherein said maintaining means are manually operable means.

7. The combination of claim 1', wherein said safety member has a portion thereof adapted to engage an annular groove of said plunger.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein said groove adapted to be engaged by said safety member portion is the groove engageable by said locking lever portion.

9. The combination of claim 1, wherein said retaining means are constituted by a finger adapted to abut against a face of said safety member.

10. The combination of claim 1, wherein said safety member portion is adapted to engage said annular groove already engageable by said locking lever portion, and

wherein said restraining means are constituted by an excess in the width of the safety member portion which is adapted to engage said annular groove with respect to the width of said locking lever portion adapted also to en gage said groove, said restraining means being further constituted by the portion of said plunger adjacent said annular groove and upon which said safety member portion is allowed freely to rest when said plunger is not in regular knitting position.

the width of said locking lever portion adapted also to engage said groove, said restraining means being further constituted by the portion of said plunger adjacent said annular groove and upon which said safety member portion is allowed freely to rest when said plunger is not in regular knitting position, said cancelling means being constituted by a follower mounted on said plunger and adapted to cooperate with said restoring cam, the arrangement of said restoring cam and said follower being such that said plunger is moved back by said restoring cam a distance the length of which is suflicient for allowing said safety member portion to enter said annular groove.

12. The combination of claim 1, wherein said safety member has a portion. thereof adapted to engage an annular groove of said plunger, and wherein said restraining means are constituted by a retractable stop resiliently urged towards its restraining position in which said stop stands in the path of travel of said safety member.

13. The combination of claim 1, wherein said safety member has a portion thereof adapted to engage an annular groove of said plunger, and wherein said restraining means are constituted by a retractable stop resiliently urged towards its restraining position in which said stop stands in the path of travel of said safety member, said cancelling means being constituted by a push member rigid with said plunger and adapted tocause said stop to retract at the moment when said plunger reaches the end of its stroke toward its narrowing cycle initiating position.

14. The combination of claim 1, with a solenoid operatively connected to said safety member, said retaining means being constituted by a switch adapted to be actuated by said locking lever and so designed as to permit energization of said solenoid for releasing said safety member when said locking lever locks said plunger in regular knitting cycle position, said restraining means being constituted, on one hand, by a second switch operatively connected to said camshaft and closed when said camshaft is in regular knitting cycle position and open when said camshaft is in narrowing cycle position, said second switch being further so designed and arranged as to permit energization of said solenoid, and on the other hand, by the portion of the surface of said plunger adjacent said annular groove, said cancelling means being constituted by said two switches when in open position. 15. The combination of claim 14, further comprising a third switch also so designed and arranged as to permit energization of said solenoid and adapted to be actuated in timed relationship with respect to said cam shaft.

Greenlee Apr. 22, 1941 Hardison June 28, 1949 

